Just A Dream
by DaniDiamondz
Summary: When it comes to her best friend Sokka, Toph decides she'll just have to be satisfied with bending the rules of their friendship in her dreams. Written for the Tokka Week 2012 Prompt: Bending the Rules.


Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The last Airbender**  
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**Just A Dream**

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She moves restlessly in her sleep, back sore, muscles aching. The usually comforting rock beneath her is painful and her legs kick at the cave walls surrounding her. She's hanging again, dangling in the air at the mercy of the man holding her by her wrists. His hands are sweaty, sticky and she feels herself slipping out of his reach and down into the bottomless abyss. He wrinkles his brow, eyes sad. _No_, he chokes, her fingers slipping through his. Just as her fingertips brush his, he adds, _I'm sorry_. The words seems to echo in her mind and a scream bubbles up in her throat as she falls down, down, down.

Her eyes fly open as she sits up, chest heaving. Cautiously, she lays her hand on the ground beside her and sighs in relief at the touch of the cold stone.

"Are you okay, Toph? She flinches, unaware of Sokka's presence but she smiles, nods.

"I'm fine."

"Toph." The warning voice echoes in the cave and she waves a hand absently as she lays back down on her side.

"Geez Snoozles, calm down, will you? I'm okay." She whispers the last part as she swallows harshly, wiping away the sweat beading at her temples.

"I was scared today." The voice is soft, smooth and Toph closes her eyes, the nightmare and her encounter with death coming back to her. She feels the same way but she won't admit it, never will. So instead she sighs heavily, listens to the familiar deep voice she finds comfort in. "I thought I was going to lose you." His breath hitches and he takes a shaky deep breath in to calm himself, push his fear away. He pauses before adding, "Are you sure you're okay? I mean, after today... just now-"

"It was just a dream." She cuts him off as she wipes away the tears pooling in her eyes.

"A bad dream." He emphasizes, prodding her to talk to him. "A _really_ bad dream."

She shrugs, propping herself up on an elbow and glancing in his direction. "Okay, fine. But you're here now, so everything is going to be just fine," she monotones sarcastically, the words meaning more than they should.

A warm calloused hand takes hers, and she hesitates momentarily, before allowing herself to be pulled into his embrace. When she leans against him, bare skin against her, her heart races and she rests her cheek against his chest, listens to his heartbeat.

A moment later, she feels him shuffling. "Sokka?" She raises her head questioningly, her hand still in his. When she feels his lips brush hers gently, a hand moving a stray hair out of her face, she tenses - they're _friends_. She moans against him but she can't pull away, and before she knows it, she's leaning in, closing her eyes and deepening the kiss, her hand reaching up to feel his high cheekbones, strong jaw, chestnut-coloured stubble. When he pulls away, her eyes open slowly.

"Sokka?" There's no sound and her heartbeat quickens as she frantically listens, searching for him. When she stands, stomps her foot on the ground to get a picture of her surroundings, she finds herself alone again, a cold shiver running down her spine. She barely gets the chance to say his name again, her mouth forming the words, when she feels the floor of the cave open up beneath her and swallow her whole.

She jerks up, panting as she pulls at the thin nightgown drenched in sweat. She lets out a deep breath, remembering the end of the war, the new Firelord's coronation and the guesthouse she is resting in.

_A dream - it was all a dream._ Realization hits her hard, fast and she stumbles out of bed, quickly pulling a light green robe around herself as she makes her way through the house. When she reaches the bedroom she knows Sokka's in, she places her ear against the door, listens closely. A low laughter bellows from inside the room and her heart skips a beat. _How could it be just a dream?_ _At least he's okay._ She finds comfort in the thought, almost convincing herself that it was real, it is real. The echoing of a high female voice - Suki - proves her wrong and she feels her heart shatter into a million pieces. _Of course it's not real._ Tears streaming down her face, she forces herself to lift her head high and feel her way back to her room. She refuses to cry herself to sleep, that's not her, never will be. Instead she decides she'll just have to bend the rules of their friendship in her dreams.

_When you're dreaming with a broken heart  
The waking up is the hardest part_

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**A/N:** So this is supposed to be for Day 1 of Tokka Week: Bending the Rules, but I may have gotten a little distracted and gone off track. (oops! _Oh well..._)  
Also, I'm sorry it's late but I _had_ to finish it, come hell or high water. So here it is!_  
_For those of you who are interested, the lyrics at the end are from John Mayer's song _Dreaming with a Broken Heart.  
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